The Lovely Shane and I had the opportunity, yesterday, to attend a fund raiser flea market/yard sale for one of our local heroes of dog rescue, Bully Wag. We found some really good buys there and helped support these most innocent of Gods creatures. We also had some of the best barbecue I have eaten in a long time. Michelle does a really good barbecue so, next time they have a fund raiser, my advice would be do not miss the barbecue!Well, while we there, The Lovely Shane spotted a really nice looking huge basket. We bought the basket and put some old pillows and a blanket in it and it makes the perfect size bed for little Cody. We spent much less than half the price of a similar size dog bed at Petco or Petsmart. And this bed is unique. We think it is cool anyhow :). When Cody first joined our pack, he did not have his very own bed. Copper and Cuddles were very nice about letting him sleep on theirs and we put some old pillows on the floor for him too. Cody has absolutely fallen in love with this new bed!
The point of this post is to encourage you to be creative when it comes to things like bedding. This stuff is really expensive if you buy it at the Pet Stores. As you can see, little Cody is just as comfortable, or perhaps even more comfortable on his new yard sale bed as he would have been in the pricier model.
Another example is that there are many types of travelling water containers you can get for your pup on the go. Some of these are very good and not all that expensive. However, many times when Copper and I are out together, I get him a disposable Styrofoam cup. I put his name on it with a marker and he loves to drink from it while I hold it. During the short time that I used him as a demo dog at Petco, he had his own cup in the break room next to mine. This is not an appropriate solution for all outings with your dog but it works very well for Copper and I most of the time and he loves it!
The Lovely Shane made this sign for my radio station ( Ham Shack) the other day. I am not sure how effective it is because I have yet to figure out how to teach our pack to read. However, we think it is pretty cool. The Lovely Shane points out that it may be effective because the pack never barks while I am transmitting :). The cost of this really cool sign was nothing but the paper, ink and electricity required to produce it , and my unending gratitude to the Lovely Shane, of course :) . By the way, I picked up the really cool big white monitor on my radio station from the Bully Wag Yard Sale. Got a great deal on it too! Now I can see those little numbers on the radio control software much better now. I am not getting any younger, you know .Another money saving idea is the one I mentioned in an earlier post on giving your dog a pill. You can use cheese instead of pill pockets and save a great deal of money. An extra added bonus is that you can have a treat with the pack :).
I am not suggesting that there are not significant costs associated with caring for a dog. I am simply encouraging you to be creative. There are many ways to save money if your think outside the box, so to speak.
Till Next Time
-William-
William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
